How to get green thumbs up on lush green lawn

TYLER, TX (KLTV) - Do you control your sprinkler system, or does your sprinkler system control you? How much should you really water your lawn?

Let's say you only turn your sprinklers on a few times a week - or, better yet, you've got them timed to go on and off automatically. You could still be overdoing it.

"They're great to have, but people over water very frequently," said nursery owner, Paul Breedlove.

He says too much water, especially in the spring time, can actually make your grass more vulnerable to disease and fungus which can kill your grass. Breedlove says under our current weather conditions a good inch of water once or twice or week should be all it takes as long as the soil is wet about six inches into the ground.

One do-it-yourself experiment can help you make sure you properly quench your turf's thirst.

All you need are about five or six little containers, and experts say pet food cans or canisters seem to do the trick. What you want to do is place them in different areas in your yard. Empty all the food out, of course. Then, turn your sprinklers on. Let your sprinkler system run for about 30 minutes, and shut it off. Then, you want to measure the amount of water that is actually inside those containers, add it all up and divide by the number of containers you have. What you are left with is the amount of water your sprinklers put out in 30 minutes. Just measure how deep the water goes into the soil to see how long you would have to water to reach the desired 6" depth.

"You're simulating a rainfall," said Breedlove.

He says depending on the type of sprinkler heads you have, it may take you a longer or shorter period of time to reach that desired level. In the end, he says, you save water, energy and, possibly, your status in the neighborhood.

It’s often hard to find something calming in the midst of holiday travel. But for those flying in and out of Tyler Pounds Airport on Wednesday they found comfort in some four-legged friends waiting just inside the airport’s entrance.